Windows 8.1 - Update 2 next 12th August?

Windows 8.1 Update 1 was launched 3 months ago, and brought a lot of stability and some good new features and improvements that boosted Windows 8 adoption, mainly for the home users.

Now, there's some speculation over the internet about the launch of Update 2 possibly in 12th August instead of the previous not official launch date (9th September).

Accordingly with PCPortal.org.ru, Update 2 should be less significant then Update 1 but should bring a little more stability and new functionalities.

Hope to bring more info about it in the next couple of days.
 

Windows 9 - The Future Start Menu Images Appears

The Microsoft's BUILD conference had a good bunch of news about the future Microsoft's OS, Windows 9.

The option made my Microsoft about removing the "classic" Start Menu from Windows 8 was one of the most criticized decisions.

In a way to make users know that Microsoft it's listening, the news about the return of the Start Menu to Windows 9 was made by Microsoft during BUILD conference but with no release date.

Last week a new image appeared on the internet allegedly of Microsoft Windows 9 build 9788 which shows a more "hybrid" start menu with Desktop and Apps all in the same place.

Windows Phone 8.1 - Available for Nokia Lumia

 

The new and hyped Windows Phone 8.1 it's now available for all Nokia Lumia, that where previously shipped with Windows Phone 8.

 

With a lot of new functionalities, the Nokia version of this new phone OS, called Lumia Cyan hads some new cool features like:

• Nokia Creative Studio - Brings 5 new image filters
• Nokia SensorCore - Allows the usage of sensors on Nokia Lumia devices for fitness apps without making the battery drain out rapidly
• New Camera Roll - Gives access to images gallery, editing tools and share options

In all other smartphones (including Lumia) there are also a lot of new features like:

• Action Center
• Apps + Store
• Redesigned Calendar
• Internet Explorer 11
• YouTube Player, including HTML5 Support
• Encripted and signed e-mail support
• New Start Screen
• Files (to manage smartphone files)
• Swipe keyboard
• Battery Power Sense (for monitoring which apps users most battery)
• Wi-Fi Direct
• Miracast, PlayTo, mirror and project via wireless display or USB-Out
• Virtual Smartcard support
• Mouse and Keyboard support

And a lot, lot more...like the new personal assistant Cortana in some few countries.

 

Here's a video about the new WP 8.1:

 

 

 

To know more about Windows Phone 8.1 go to:

Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1

VoiceWake - Wake-on-Lan with...Cortana

 

Well, while WoL it's not a new thing, using it with the new Windows Phone 8.1 personal assistant it's a different story.
VoiceWake integrates with Cortana and let's users wake up machines only by telling her so...
Here's a demo video:

VMware PowerCLI - Change Pool AutoLogoff Behavior

VMware PowerCLI for View it's a very handful tool if we need to administer a big number of VMware Horizon View pools.
Very similar/based on Microsoft Powershell, VMware PowerCLI allows to run commands directly to VMware View and running scripts also.

Here's a nice one to change a pool's behavior for AutoLogoff after a user's disconnect from a machine.
The script reads a text file that only have the PoolID for all pools that you want to change:

#*********************************************************************
# Application: Change Pool AutoLogoff Timeout From List
#
# Overview: Changes the pool autologoff timeout from a given list
#
#*********************************************************************
$sourcevms = "C:\Pools.txt"
$list = Get-Content $sourcevms
foreach($item in $list){
 Get-Pool -Pool_id $item | Update-AutomaticLinkedClonePool -AutologoffTime 30
}

Finding Disabled User Accounts on Active Directory

For working purposes I needed to find all user accounts disabled on our domain and move them to a different Organizational Unit (OU).

To do that without scripting and simply using MMC, follow this tips:

• Open your MMC
• Navigate to Active Directory Users and Computers
• Select View -> Filter Options
• Then select Create Custom Filter and click Customize
• Select the tab Advanced
• For the LDAP query, type useraccountcontrol:1.2.840.113556.1.4.803:=2
  
  

• Click OK and OK again

The MMC will refresh and now for every OU with user accounts (objects) you'll only see the Disabled User Accounts.

To disable the filter just click agar in View -> Filter Options and select the option "Show all types of objects"

Steve Ballmer e-mails all Microsoft employees about the new CEO

Also today, with all the buzz around the new Microsoft's CEO, Steve Ballmer (the former CEO) sent an e-mail to all Microsoft employees:
Steve Ballmer - Satya Nadella - Microsoft's New CEO